NEWS

Public Health Priorities: Interview with MMS’ Own Matt Willis,
MD

With
issues like opioid addiction, low vaccination rates and unequal access, being a
public health officer has never been more important.
Read
the interview in Marin Magazine with MMS Board Member, Matt Willis, MD.

CMA Federal Health Reform Update

On Friday, March 24, House Speaker Paul Ryan and President Donald Trump pulled
the American Health Care Act (AHCA) after it failed to garner enough votes within
the House Republican caucus. The move followed a six-week sprint to repeal and replace
the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Read more.

California Attorney General to speak at CMA's
Legislative Advocacy Day

April
18, 2017Sheraton Grand, Sacramento

The California Medical Association (CMA) will host its 43rd annual Legislative
Advocacy Day on April 18, 2017. Join MMS at the State Capitol to learn about legislative
issues affecting medicine, foster relationships with state legislators, and gain
hands on experience in the practical aspects of physician advocacy. MMS members
will have the opportunity to meet with legislators. All meetings with legislators
will be scheduled and coordinated by MMS. ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

Please note this is a member-only event, and registration fee is waived for all
MMS members. To register, please contact Erin Henke at
ehenke@sfms.org or (415) 561-0850 extension
268.

CHPI Publishes Physicians' Quality Ratings
for Cycle 2

On March 22, 2017, the California Healthcare Performance Initiative System (CHPI)
released its second cycle of physician quality ratings to the public. The ratings
can be accessed at CHPI’s newly launched website,
CAqualityratings.org,
which allows consumers to search ratings on approximately 10,000 California physicians.

Study Shows Burnout Best Addressed at Organizational Level

A
study published in the February issue of JAMA Internal Medicine found that interventions
implemented at the organizational level are more effective in combating physician
burnout than interventions directed at individuals.
Read more.

CMA Foundation Launches Program to Increase
Diversity in Clinical Trials

The CMA Foundation and its Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations (NEPO) have
launched a campaign to increase minority participation in clinical studies. The
"Encouraging Diversity in Clinical Trials" campaign hopes to increase clinical trial
participation among California's multi-ethnic patient populations. The campaign
is part of the CMA Foundation's ongoing commitment to raising awareness about critical
health disparities and their impact on California's underserved communities.
Read more.

CMA Urges CMS to Create "Administrative Burden"
Hardship Exemptions

The CMA has joined the AMA and other medical associations to urge CMS to establish
a new "administrative burden" category of hardship exemption for the 2016 meaningful
use and physician quality reporting system (PQRS) performance year.
Read more.

PRACTICE RESOURCES & CME

Video Help Is On Way for Family Caregivers Who Must Draw Blood or Give
Injections In December, 15 organizations joined a new national consortium,
the Home Alone Alliance, devoted to providing better training and instructional
materials for family caregivers. This summer, nine videos on wound care and topics
will be added and include dealing with newly sutured wounds, bed sores, cellulitis
and diabetic foot care, among other topics. By the end of the year, another 20 videos
should be available.
Read more.

CMA published this important checklist to help physicians understand
MACRA payment reforms and what they can do now to start preparing for the
transition. Also available in the
MACRA resource center
is an overview of MACRA, and a comprehensive list of tools, resources and information
from CMA, the American Medical Association and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services.

$14 Million Reasons To Be a CMA Member The CMA Center for Economic
Services (CES) has recouped $14 million from payors on behalf of CMA member physicians
over the past eight years. These monies represent actual physician reimbursements
that would have likely gone unpaid without the intervention of the CES team.

CES staff helps members with issues ranging from underpayment or denials by payors
to assisting with contract analysis during negotiations. Assistance from CES also
includes education on how to increase practice efficiency and direct intervention
with payors or regulators. This support is reserved exclusively for CMA
members.